This photo of a swimming pool swept away from a multi-million-dollar home shows the power of Sydney's storms

This image of the swimming pool ripped away from its owner’s property is one of the defining images of the deadly weather system that has been hammering Australia’s east coast.

It shows the strength of the storm surge that inundated large stretches of the coast, over an area stretching the 1000km from Brisbane in south-east Queensland as far south as Tasmania. Weather warnings were still in effect for Tasmania on Monday, and at least 100 homes were reported flooded.

Three people died after being caught in floodwaters, and another three are missing, including a swimmer who went missing off Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach today.

Huge surf pounded the coastline over the weekend, with giant wave plumes scaling the heights of cliff faces along Sydney’s eastern beaches. Shares prices in insurance companies fell on the ASX today, in anticipation of a wave of tens of millions of dollars in damages claims.

Sydney’s northern beaches – a string of mainly affluent suburbs stretching along the city’s north-east fringe – were among the worst affected as the eastern-facing beaches, many with expensive residential properties, were exposed to the full force of the storm.

Collaroy, where the swimming pool was ripped out from the property, was among the worst-affected parts of the city. The house sits on a notoriously exposed section of expensive houses with ocean views. Waves up to eight metres high hit the suburb on Sunday and sea water moved up to 50 metres inland from the beach.